Iraq PM orders reinstatement of Samarra operations commander after brief removal

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani directed the reinstatement of Ali al-Akili as commander of the Samarra Operations Command, reversing a decision a day earlier to remove him, a source close to the prime minister's office said. Al-Akili had been relieved of his post on Thursday and replaced by Yusuf Mezban, appointed by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) headquarters, according to the source, known as "Saraya al-Salam." The source said handover procedures had not been completed and the command had not been officially transferred. After the PMF's replacement decision, elements of Saraya al-Salam objected, creating field tensions in Samarra. The group subsequently announced it had fully separated from the Sadrist Movement and joined state institutions, adding that it would remain in the city to protect the two holy shrines there. The unrest followed cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's decision to dissolve Saraya al-Salam and hand over its weapons to the Joint Operations Command. Samarra, home to the Imam al-Askari shrines, is considered one of Iraq's most sensitive security and religious cities. No further details on the command's official transfer were immediately available.